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SHAHEEN-PORTMAN — WHERE THINGS STAND: The Senate adjourned last night without a deal to move forward on the Shaheen-Portman energy-efficiency bill. Majority Leader Harry Reid said late yesterday that he has instructed his staff to work with Republican staff on a path forward for the legislation. But, Reid said, “It’s been a totally wasted week.” The Senate is back in town Monday afternoon.

POST-MORTEM OF THE WEEK: The Senate’s first big energy debate since 2007 quickly devolved into an accidental collision between Obamacare and the Keystone XL pipeline. On one side is Sen. David Vitter, who has halted action on a bipartisan energy-efficiency bill while demanding a vote on an unrelated Obamacare measure. On the other is Sen. John Hoeven, who wants to use the energy bill as a vehicle for a pro-Keystone amendment that he’s crafted to make as much bipartisan noise as possible. They can’t both get what they want — unless Democratic leaders cave in to Vitter’s demands, which they showed no signs of doing. So the energy bill is in limbo. Darren Goode and Andrew Restuccia explain: http://politi.co/17udkA3

POLITICAL DUST-UP: Senate Democrats have had all they can take from Vitter and his fixation on Obamacare — and they’re dredging up his past prostitution scandal to hit back. Frustrated by Vitter’s actions this week, Democratic senators are preparing a legislative response targeting a sordid Vitter episode. If Vitter continues to insist on a vote on his proposal, Democrats could counter with one of their own: Lawmakers will be denied those government contributions if there is “probable cause” they solicited prostitutes. Manu Raju and John Bresnahan have more: http://politi.co/17TfQAG

HAPPY FRIDAY and welcome to Morning Energy, where we think this list of the 10 most important science questions (http://n.pr/15S0Cy9) really ought to include “Why is Nutella so delicious?” and “Is there another dimension with a world of nothing but shrimp?” Priorities, people. Send your energy news to aguillen@politico.com, and follow on Twitter @alexcguillen, @Morning_Energy and @POLITICOPro.

BINZ COORDINDATING WITH LOBBYISTS, PR FIRM, FERC EMPLOYEES, REPORT SAYS: Ron Binz, the nominee to chair FERC, has been coordinating strategy with lobbyists who don’t have business before the agency, as well as a PR firm hired by a third party, according to The Washington Times, citing emails obtained by conservative activist Chris Horner. Shortly after being nominated, the paper writes, “the emails show he began to coordinate with what he called his ‘team’: Michael Meehan, a longtime Democratic operative who now runs VennSquared public relations firm; Kai Anderson and Chris Miller, lobbyists at different firms who used to be staffers for Sen. Harry Reid of Nevada, now the top Democrat in the chamber; and Carrie Doyle, a former Obama campaign operative who is now vice president of public engagement for the Energy Foundation. According to the emails, Mr. Binz had the lobbyists and Mr. Meehan vet his official biography that he submitted to the Senate, and the emails show Mr. Binz coordinated with his team, with a White House staffer, and with a number of FERC employees on strategy meetings. …

“A number of FERC employees were also on the emails, including Chris Murray, who arranged one of the in-person and online meetings that included VennSquared, the two lobbyists and Mr. Binz. … Lobbying is not allowed for FERC employees. Charles Beamon, the designated agency ethics officer at FERC, said he didn’t know what was discussed at the meetings, but said he’d be surprised if his agency’s employees crossed any lines into lobbying.” The Washington Times: http://bit.ly/1e86YLW

Moving forward: Remember, Binz’s nomination hearing is coming up Tuesday, and these emails seem likely to grab attention. Energy committee ranking member Lisa Murkowski, who was slated meet with Binz sometime this week, said the disclosure is “concerning and must be taken seriously.” The Alaska Republican also said FERC is releasing more emails next week.

NSPS WATCH — STRICT COAL LEVELS, SOURCE SAYS: EPA is sticking to plans to require future coal-fired power plants to capture as much as 60 percent of their carbon emissions, according to a source who has seen the draft that EPA sent to the White House for review. The coal industry had hoped the new proposal, which was sent to the White House’s Office of Management and Budget in July and is due to be released next week, would back away from earlier plans to limit emissions that the coal industry argues would effectively prevent the construction of new coal-fired power generation by adding significant new costs in contrast to natural gas. Erica Martinson fills you in: http://politico.pro/1d9exz6

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INGAA STICKS WITH LINCOLN: The Interstate Natural Gas Association of America is sticking with former Sen. Blanche Lincoln as a lobbyist, according to newly filed disclosures. INGAA has officially picked up Lincoln’s new lobby shop, the Lincoln Policy Group, after the onetime Agriculture Committee chairwoman decamped from Alston & Bird earlier this summer. Lincoln, along with former ag committee staff director Robert Holifield, also took along the Waterways Council, Wal-Mart and Experian as clients, according to filings. While at Alston & Bird, Lincoln and Holifield got $80,000 for INGAA lobbying activities in the second quarter. INGAA reported spending $280,000 on second quarter lobbying.

I PITY THE JOULE: Ernest Moniz’s A-team of advisers is gathering today for the first time since he became Energy secretary in the spring. Moniz is slated to open the first 45 minutes of the meeting before presentations on exascale computing (think super-supercomputing) and of the president’s climate change agenda, delivered by DOE chief of staff Kevin Knobloch, Moniz adviser Melanie Kenderdine and Jonathan Pershing, DOE's deputy assistant secretary for climate. The SEAB meeting begins at 8 a.m. at DOE headquarters. Agenda: http://1.usa.gov/186LMh0

— Nine members of Steven Chu’s advisory board had left but Moniz added 15 new people, including former national security adviser Brent Scowcroft, former Science Undersecretary Steve Koonin, Center for American Progress Chairman John Podesta and former NRC chiefs Shirley Ann Jackson and Richard Meserve. The board brainstorms over DOE programs and makes recommendations but doesn’t have any decision-making powers.

SENATORS PUSH NRC ON DRY CASK LICENSING: Bipartisanship isn’t dead — at least not when it comes to pushing the NRC to speed up its licensing process for dry cask storage for nuclear waste at reactor sites. The industry has complained that requests for design changes to can take two years or more to get through the regulator, according to the letter, signed by Sens. Tom Carper — who chairs the Environment and Public Works subcommittee that oversees nuclear safety — John Barrasso, Ben Cardin and Jeff Sessions sent to NRC Chairwoman Allison Macfarlane today. Letter: http://politico.pro/1eJkQLm

WATCHDOG HITS INTERIOR’S TRAVEL MANAGEMENT: The Interior Department’s travel management process, which oversees $750 million worth of travel expenses each year, has “significant weaknesses,” the agency’s inspector general says in a new report. “We found that inadequate contract requirements and system implementation caused internal control deficiencies and inhibited DOI’s ability to manage travel,” the report says. “In addition, DOI’s management of the travel process has not ensured that federal travel rules and regulations are followed, travel costs are adequately documented and valid, and travel is consistently managed.” Interior, which is switching to a new electronic travel system in November, agreed to work on 13 recommendations made by the IG. The report: http://on.doi.gov/1g6pT6w

GERMAN INVESTORS REPORTEDLY MAKE DOE AN OFFER ON FISKER: A pair of German investors have reportedly sent an offer to buy Fisker Automotive to DOE, which still has $193 million outstanding under the ATVM loan the floundering company received (a stake giving DOE a say in Fisker’s future). “I am proud to tell you that we just sent our detailed offer including a signed [letter of intent] and short presentation of our restructuring plan to the DoE on fax and mail,” German investor Ingo Voigt wrote on his Facebook this week, according to Green Car Reports: http://bit.ly/1e6foDt. Fisker — which has laid off much of its workforce, hasn’t produced any vehicles in a while and noisily parted ways with founder Henrik Fisker this year — has long been the subject of speculation for a takeover, with several different investors reportedly showing interest. A DOE official wouldn’t confirm Voigt’s alleged offer or any other “potential” proposals, but noted any such offer would be subject to a competitive process under the Debt Collection Improvement Act.

ANTI-KXL GROUP SPOOFS HARPER’S LETTER TO OBAMA, EH: SWAK? More like SWAKXL. But don’t get too excited; this is only a — as the Canadians might say — faux version of the letter Stephen Harper sent last month to President Barack Obama proposing a deal on Keystone XL and oil and gas sector emissions. “What I need you to do is ignore the science, the market, our record and the risks America would bear in return for absolutely no reward — well, no reward for U.S. interests (Canada is going to take this thing to the bank!),” reads the letter, released by the anti-Keystone group All Risk, No Reward: http://bit.ly/1aFM5Hn

FRIDAY READ — PANDA POO, BIOFUEL HELPER? Make sure you’ve already eaten breakfast before reading this. Via Smithsonian Magazine: “Biofuel companies have been seeking a natural method to break down plant material for a while; so far, termites have been a favorite for chewing through the woody material. But it turns out there might be a better — and cuter — animal that can help produce biofuel. The intestines of pandas are remarkably short, a physical attribute which means their intestines have come to contain bacteria with unusually potent enzymes for breaking down their woody diet of bamboo in a short amount of time. … [Researchers] performed DNA sequencing on microbes in their samples, identifying more than 40 microbes in the panda feces that could be useful to the breakdown and creation of biofuels.” http://bit.ly/1b1PQq3

QUICK HITS

— House Republican leadership pulled a vote on a noncontroversial bill creating a science laureate position after conservative organizations warned that the post could be used to "serve political ends, on such issues as climate change and regulation of greenhouse gases," AAAS's ScienceInsider writes: http://bit.ly/17SNJBI

— Statoil says it may have relied too much on Algerian military protection at the facility that was attacked in January. AP: http://apne.ws/17TE91t

— Rain in Colorado is so bad the National Weather Service is calling it "biblical." USA Today: http://usat.ly/1ekOWaj

THAT’S ALL FOR ME. Have a nice weekend.

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